Maryland Westie Rescue (MWR) is not a shelter and has no paid employees. We are all volunteers with jobs, families, pets, and foster Westies. Please be patient with our application and adoption process. Patience is, as they say, a virtue and one of the key traits we look for in a prospective new home for a rescued Westie.

Adoption Application.The first step in our adoption process is the completion of the adoption application form. All persons interested in adopting a Westie from our organization must submit a complete adoption application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Each year the number of applications we receive is much greater than the number of Westies available for adoption. When a dog is placed into our rescue program, we review all qualified applications we have on file to make the best possible match between the dog's needs and the prospective adopter's preferences.

Our process is focused on the welfare of the Westie, as the needs of the homeless Westie are our primary mission. Our goal is to place each dog in an environment appropriate for that dog's background, personality, temperament and needs. Therefore, no one is ever at the top of the list for the next dog. And it is impossible to predict how long it will take for each applicant to receive a dog.

We do not "pre-approve" adoption applications due to the large number of applications received and our limited volunteer manpower. We will contact you and begin the approval process once we determine that a Westie in our program would be a potentially good match with you. The approval process involves a combination of phone interview, home visit, and reference check.

Adoption Fees.Rescued Westies are not "free." Many rescue Westies require medical attention as they often have not had any recent medical attention in their previous situation. There are the costs of a complete health examination, immunizations, parasite control as well as spaying and/or neutering if the previous owners did not take care of this most important part of responsible pet ownership. We ask for an adoption donation to help us cover these costs. The average donation is $350, but may be higher or lower depending on the age and condition of the dog. Adoption donations are non-refundable, and MWR reserves the right to modify the above amounts at any time without notice.

Our dogs are fully vetted before they are placed into adoptive homes (there are some exceptions due to health and/or age). They will be neutered/spayed, brought up to date on their vaccinations, tested for heartworms, and may have a dental cleaning. And in most cases, our costs exceed the adoption donation amount we get for the dog.

All donations received are used for the purpose of rescuing, providing medical care and placing homeless Westies into new forever homes.

Adoption Contract.Every person who is selected to adopt a Westie from our rescue program will be required to sign our Adoption Contract. Please review this contract thoroughly and do not apply if you cannot honestly abide by the terms of the Adoption Contract.

Post Adoption Follow Up.Our goal is to help you enjoy life with your new Westie to the fullest extent possible. If issues arise, or you just need some good advice, we are happy to do follow-up counseling by email or telephone. We may also contact you from time to time to see how the adopted Westie is doing.

If Anything Prevents You From Keeping Your Adopted Westie.Sometimes situations arise which can not be helped. If, at any time, for any reason, you are unable to keep a dog youï¿½ve adopted from MWR, you must either return the dog to MWR or obtain approval from MWR to transfer ownership to a friend or relative.

MWR is committed to the life, health and well being of every Westie we place for the remainder of that dog's life.